Jen Shears Designs

May Arts + Hero Arts!

2012-01-26T12:16:00.000-08:00

I've got a post up at May Arts today featuring Hero Arts stamps! Head over & check it out the details- don't forget to leave a comment while you are there- you KNOW how the Ribbon Lady loves to give away goodies!

I'm going to add this to the Moxie Cutting & trimming challenge too- check out that ribbon 'grass'! :)
Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

January 2012 PTI blog hop

2012-01-25T19:45:00.000-08:00

I'm soooo late getting this up. I've been without power more than with it for the last week. I am not a fan.
This month the challenge was to pick a fave from last year, repost it & CASE it. I worked by the daylight given & ended up with two cards to share!
This is one of my faves from last year- it was for my daughter's 6th birthday! :)

I had to go from memory on this, but I remembered the basic layout. I didn't have power, so you can't see the mendhi medallion that would've been embossed in white if I'd had that luxury. heh.

The ribbon is May Arts crinkle in ivory- I've swiped my ink pad across the whole thing- love it.

There's a second vellum butterfly underneath- hard to see, I know.

Here's the second card I was inspired by:

This one is not only a fave just because I loved the way it turned out, but also because it was the one that garnered that coveted Moxie Fab badge in the sidebar!
Here's the CASE. Try as I might, I couldn't talk myself into adding glitter to this. Trust me, I did try!

Here's a pic of a Japanese maple and a Blue Atlas Cedar in our backyard from a few days ago. That beauty that enveloped the trees became so destructive in such a short time. The South Puget Sound region literally looks like a war zone with broken trees of all shapes & sizes EVERYWHERE. So sad. Breaks my tree-lovin' heart. It also left us without power for 86 hours. We got it back for almost 2 days before losing it again last night until RIGHT NOW. Mother Nature has been quite cruel this winter.
Enough of my whining. Thanks for stopping by! Hope you're enjoying the hop!

Carbon Copied: Winter Lawnscaping

2012-01-18T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today I have the honor of playing along with Karen Baker, from The Bald Dragonfly, in her Carbon Copied Challenge! Karen is an amazing designer, and one of the most supportive people I've met in the blogworld. I 'met' her ages ago, and have loved seeing her success in so many venues!

We are using Lawn Fawn's Bannerific, and Fly Free to play in the Lawnscaping Winter Wonderland challenge. I must say- it WAS a challenge for me! Banners & birds & winter! Oh my! But in the end, I rather like what I created. :)

I also used Sally's ABC's for my sentiment. Ocean Tides cardstock, sprayed with Tsukineko frost shimmer spritz, smokey shadow ink. Prisma pencils to color the bird & the letters (click to enlarge). A copic to outline the bird. What do you think of those vellum snowflakes? I used my cricut! Woohoo! (Baby it's cold outside cart). A little fresh snow ink around the edges. I popped the banner up a bit with 2 sizes of Helmar zapdots.

I'll also add this to the Moxie Fab World die cut challenge!

And we're having our very own winter wonderland here in the Puget Sound area! Hadley's school was cancelled due to snow (we are soooo wimpy here! ha!), so off to the mountains we went to play in real snow! Our silly puppy loves the snow & it was hilarious to watch him bounding through snow as deep as he is tall!

And since Karen & I are both May Arts Design Team members, I thought this the perfect time to have you all check out the Fabulous blog redesign!!! (and you know there will be prizes!) Go check it out here!

Thank you so much for stopping by! If you haven't already, go check out what Karen's made for the challenge! I can't wait to see!

Happy Birthday, Cory!

2012-01-15T18:45:00.000-08:00

Today is my wonderful husband's birthday, so I used the PDCC colors to create a masculine birthday card!

I used fine linen cardstock, and embossed with woodgrain on a little more than half. I then added this AMAZING gold mesh ribbon, topped with the beautiful satin, grosgrain edged burgundy ribbon. I threaded a bit of the gold through the purple button & attached with Helmar adhesive (all the ribbon is adhered with it- it's my go-to liquid glue!) and stamped the star prints sentiment in SU! perfect plum.

Did I pull off masculine?

I'll add this to the Moxie Fab World Embossing challenge too!

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Helmar + May Arts! :)

2012-01-13T08:24:00.002-08:00

You know that's a winning combo! Head over to May Arts to check out how I made this:

And don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some goodies of your own!

I'm also going to add this to the Moxie Cutting & Trimming Challenge! :)

A notepad for Kristi

2012-01-06T21:03:00.000-08:00

I made this for my dear friend for Christmas- she loves this color (as do I!)- and I'd just picked up this gorgeous Pink Paislee 6" paper from Camie at The PaperMuse. *swoon* (It's actually no small miracle that I've already cut into that gorgeous paper! yay me!)

So I've layered it with some Kraft & stamped her name on the front. Come to think of it, I got those stamps at The PaperMuse too! If you live anywhere near Sumner, WA, you really should stop in- she's got May Arts ribbon for you.... :) A bit of machine stitching, and of course some delicious wrinkle ribbon from May Arts!

Aren't this weeks PDCC colors gorgeous! It's been far too long since I've played in the Cafe!

And I'll add this one to the Ribbon Carousel's challenge too!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

For the Warriors...

2012-01-04T20:57:00.001-08:00

I've got a post up at May Arts today- go see how easy it is to make that cute little pin. A bit of a soft spin on the pink ribbon to fight breast cancer....

And since anything goes at the Ribbon Carousel Challenge, I'll join in!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

Challenge Happy...

2012-01-04T10:37:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! I've really been MIA! It was great to be enjoying time with my family, and it's hard to get back into the swing!!
I recieved a wonderful birthday surprise from my friend Megan- she's a SU! demo, if there's anything you need from them! So today I'm playing with a new stamp set! She sent me lots of goodies, so you'll be seeing more!! :) (I love them ALL! Thanks, Megan!)

I punched the flower on kraft (my brown paper) and stamped the houndstooth flower on aqua mist cardstock. (isn't that a fab pattern?) A bit of Bazzill bling for the center, May Arts red 'string' is threaded through the button that I stamped with the 'hello'. I popped the kraft panel up with Helmar Zap Dots.

And I am meeting the criteria for 3 challenges! (making up for lost time!)
Brown paper, tied up with string!:

Something New:

Ribbon Carousel's Anything Goes:

Also, there's a new challenge at May Arts! Go check out the details, and maybe you'll have an idea to play along!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

December 2011 PTI blog hop

2011-12-26T17:31:00.000-08:00

The theme of the hop is 'holiday leftovers'- to use scraps from the holiday. I chose to use the pretty foil wrapping paper, since it isn't recyclable- and we die cut ornaments!

Hard to get a good pic of foil wrapping paper!! I also used the dotted line from Merry Little Christmas to 'hang' the ornaments, and the 'many thanks' from Embellishments.

We did some on aqua mist with versamark ink, and some on white with smokey shadow ink. Which do you like better?

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday! This is a great push to get my thank you's made!!
Thanks for stopping by & enjoy the hop!

Pretty Gifts

2011-12-20T14:17:00.004-08:00

I've got a post up at May Arts to show you how I made this:

Cute, right?

And I'll add it to Wee Memories Anything Goes Challenge! :)

Thanks for stopping by- don't forget to leave a comment at May Arts for a chance to win some goodies!

Fascinating Friday!

2011-12-16T00:59:00.000-08:00

What a fun day! I've got my teacher gifts wrapped up- and I think they turned out cute! I was inspired by Jess Witty's post quite awhile ago, and had cut all of these trees from green tissue paper with plans to make a decor project. And I probably still will, but I'll have to cut more trees... :)
Manilla mailing tags for the base & graphic 45 paper (it's the reverse side of the gift holder I made).
Machine stitching down the center & fluff. May Arts red burlap string & done! (yes, I could have gone crazy on these, but I needed to finish about 9 as quick as a bunny...)

And here they are attached to the yummy white chocolate peppermint popcorn (yum) & an ornament that has MS glitter inside....

Don't you love taking pictures at night?

And a little something for our carpool friends. How cute is it that 6 yr old boys like yummy smelling pocketbacs as much as 6 yr old girls do? I would've blinged the center if these weren't for boys... (PTI vintage ornament dies/stamps)

And I about fell over when Tammy asked if I would be interested in being featured! Me? Fascinating? Not sure about that, but I am very appreciative of the opportunity! Thanks to Tammy & Noor!

And check out this photo inspiration from Jay Gee- I'll be linking up! :)

Christmas Emporium: Graphic45

2011-12-13T00:00:00.000-08:00

May Arts & Graphic45 are teaming up again- and you know that means fun, inspiration, and giveaways! :) I've got 2 projects to share today, the first is this ornament using 'A Christmas Carol' paper. This was inspired by a sheet music ornament made by Camie, of The Paper Muse. (If you live anywhere near Sumner, WA you should stop in for inspiration & to pick up your favorite May Arts ribbon and Graphic45 products!)

To create this, I fan folded the sheet & inserted crepe paper in the folds. (make sure you run your adhesive the entire length, or the ones that aren't attached fall out during the cutting part- don't ask me how I know this.)

The crepe paper was a little too white, so I distressed it with ink.

I then cut through all the layers.

You can see I ended up cutting those lines deeper & gently started to spread it apart.

I hot glued it (hard to see here) to a punched piece of cardstock. (you can always click on the pics for an enlarged view!)

For the center I cut several pieces of silver metallic string & hot glued them to a small punched circle.

Then I frayed them out a bit!

I added a bit more that I didn't fray, topped with a silver star & a chipboard element from Christmas Emporium Tags 1.

A piece of 5/8" black satin pleats for the hanger, fluff to your liking & you're done!

My next project is a gift card type of holder. I used 'Under the Mistletoe' paper. I was wrapping tickets, so I measured the insert & added some room on each side- it ended up 7" wide. I scored at 4" & 8.25". (I hope that makes sense! Overall it is 7"x4.25")

I lightly tacked ivory velvet ric-rac & sheer box pleats to the underside of the flap & machine sewed them in place. I then machine sewed around the whole outside. Another chipboard element from A Christmas Emporium Tags 1 is threaded with ivory solid/wrinkle ribbon.

Because I didn't want the project torn apart while the recipient was fishing around for the gift, I added this ribbon pull.

A piece of satin/grosgrain double band ribbon machine stitched to hold the gift in place makes an easy & beautiful pull!

Here's a list of all the designers participating from Graphic45 & May Arts:

Monday, December 12th

Lynette Carroll - http://www.lynettecarrolldesigns.typepad.com/

Jane Tregenza - www.janetregenza.blogspot.com
JackandCat Curio - jackandcatcurio.blogspot.com
Candy Rosenberg - http://candyscraps.typepad.com/scraps/
Latrice Murphy - http://www.latricemurphy.blogspot.com/

Tuesday, December 13th

Ellen Sosnoski - http://closeyourears.blogspot.com/

Laura Denison - www.followingthepapertrail.blogspot.com
Charlene Driggs - http://www.paperandinkplayground.com/
Melaine Forbes - www.melanie-forbes.blogspot.com
Jen Shears <--------------------that's me! :)

Wednesday, December 14th

Robin Shakoor - http://robinshakoor.blogspot.com

Yuka Hino - http://nsnlso.blogspot.com/
Jenifer Cowles - http://scrapbooking-n-more.com/default.aspx
Gloria Stengel - www.gloriascraps.blogspot.com
Jingle - http://www.justjingle.blogspot.com/

Thursday, December 15th

Jinky Kowalski - http://jinkyscrafts.blogspot.com/

Sherry Cheever - http://sherrycheever.blogs.splitcoaststampers.com/
Britta Swiderski - http://brittaswiderski.com/
Hilde Janbroers - http://hildejanbroers.blogspot.com/
Karen Baker - http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com/

Friday, December 16th

Tara Orr - http://eachmoment-onlyonce.blogspot.com

Kimberly Jones - http://serendipityvintagestudio.blogspot.com/
Nancy Wethington - http://art-from-the-heart.typepad.com
Peggy Cain - http://www.createwithbubbe.blogspot.com/
Nicole Eccles - www.NicoleEccles.blogspot.com
Vera Yates www.lingshappyplace.blogspot.com/

Thank you to Graphic45 for the beautiful products to use! I hope you've been inspired!

Now make sure to leave a comment here- and then head to the other designers & leave comments there to increase your chance at winning some goodies!!! :D

I'll add this to Jay Gee's Challenge too- they both fit the inspiration!!! :)

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RCC32: Peppermint Twist!

2011-12-05T20:31:00.001-08:00

May Arts is sponsoring the Ribbon Carousel Challenge this week- check out the photo inspiration::

And here's my take:

White cardstock, stickers by Bazzill (that I added Doodlebug glitter to). Sentiment is Unity. TWO glittery May Arts ribbon- sheer/tinsel edge and white metallic velvet.

Thanks for stopping by! Head over to The Ribbon Carousel to see all the sweet fun!
I'm going to add this to Jay Gee's too! Did you see the inspitation pic? Chistmas gorgeous...

May Arts ♥ Lawn Fawn

2011-12-02T22:31:00.001-08:00

Did you know that May Arts & Lawn Fawn had a fun swap this week? (Sorry I'm so late telling you!!)
Here's one of my cards for the swap! Go over & check out the details- make sure you leave a comment for a chance to win some goodies!

I'm going to link this up at Jay Gee's too! Go look at her gorgeous inspiration!
Thanks for stopping by!

November 2011 PTI blog hop

2011-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

Hope you all had a WONDERFUL Thanksgiving!!! We certainly counted our blessings!
This month's hop is a gorgeous photo inspiration- here's my take:

I was inspired by the gorgeous ribbon/bow on the banister & the shades of green!

PTI white cardstock, A wreath for all seasons stamps, DCWV patterned paper, May Arts silk. Not sure if you can see the clear embossing over the pure poppy ink...

Here's the pretty inspiration!

Head over to Nichole's blog to see all the great creations!

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think! Happy hopping!!

winner

2011-11-17T18:17:00.001-08:00

Using RNG- the winner of some super cool stained glass ornaments is Sharon G! Congrats!

True Random Number Generator:
Result:13

sharon gsaid...

The peacocks were great--my favorite. Thanks. sharon dot gullikson at gmail dot com

November 8, 2011 1:09 PM

I hope you all enjoyed discovering Kyle & his fabulous talent!

Tag! You're it

2011-11-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

For my giveaway go here!
(you've got one more day!)

A card to share today that I made for OWH. Lots of PTI & May Arts goodness here!

Isn't that blue ribbon gorgeous? And I never tire of that ivory ribbon. *sigh*

Tags are the challenge at Cas-ual Fridays this week- so I'm in! :)

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

May Arts + Echo Park

2011-11-15T08:21:00.001-08:00

For my giveaway go here!

I've got a post up at May Arts! Head over there & leave a comment for a chance to win some fabby Echo Park & May Arts goodness!!! :)

It looks pretty cute on this vintage dresser!

And there's a championship of medallions challenge over at Moxie Fab World right now, so I'll play along!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I love hearing what you think!

11-11-11: Thank you Veterans

2011-11-10T22:17:00.001-08:00

It's an honor to be participating in a blog hop for Operation Write Home. May Arts has teamed up with OWH for a Veteran's Day blog hop!

Head over & check it out! And if you haven't entered my giveaway, you've still got time! And you don't want to miss your chance to win at May Arts.... :)

Anything Goes!

2011-11-06T16:46:00.001-08:00

Well here's a little pillow I made for Hadley's friend. The little girl told me that red is now her favorite color- and you may have guessed her name starts with an 'e'. :)

I cut the letter with my cricut (base camp, I believe) & traced it onto fabric lined with interfacing (?). I cut it out, machine sewed it on & frayed the edges a bit. A button was hand-sewn on with May Arts burlap string. (The pillow is just muslin & Hadley stuffed it after I sewed it up!)

Anything goes this week at Ribbon Carousel!

And it's the end of the weekend, but still time to head over to May Arts for the weekend giveaway (hurrry!).
Don't forget the giveaway on my blog- check out the details here! Thanks for stopping by!!

Flashback Friday

2011-11-04T08:45:00.000-07:00

**Second post today**

This morning I posted a banner- and my friend Erin emailed me immediately to tell me I need to post an OLD banner to play along with Flashback Friday! This is my first time playing along! Amy is the hostess, and she's one talented gal!
So here are my first 2 banners- both orinally posted in Oct. 2009! And I admit they are both hanging up in my house currently (That boo banner is still a fave & I always hate taking it down- but it will come down today....)
Fall banner originally posted here.

Boo banner originally posted here.

So there you go! And don't forget to check out my giveaway!!!!

Banner with a Twist!

2011-11-04T07:54:00.001-07:00

Head over to May Arts to see how I put this banner together!

I'll add this to the Ribbon Carousel Anything Goes.

As well as Wee Memories' brads, buttons or bows!

If you haven't checked out my *giveaway* click HERE!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

Good Day! giveaway

2011-11-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

ETA: the winner has been drawn! Congrats to sharon g!

Today is a good day. I take that back, a GREAT day! I recently saw some beautiful stained glass featured on Etsy, and Creating Cupcakes' blog.

And you know what? It was a friend from elementary school's work! ELEMENTARY SCHOOL!!!! How amazing is that?

So we had a little chat, and he's been making these sweet Christmas lights- check them out:

Look how fun they are hanging up!

Now here's the VERY BEST part! He wants to give one of YOU a set of FIVE lights! Isn't that generous? Here's what you need to do- head over to his Etsy shop & take a look around. There are some amazing creations- you may even cross some holiday gifts off your list while you are there! Then come back here & leave me a comment telling me what your favorite item is! That's it!

I'll draw a winner on November 17th! (And I checked with Kyle- this giveaway is open to everyone!)

Here's to reconnecting with childhood friends!

Good luck!

Altered Journal

2011-11-01T21:22:00.002-07:00

I've got a post up at May Arts- a couple of composition notebooks I've altered. Head over there to check out the details! (isn't that sentiment stamp from Unity fab?)

And since the Ribbon Carousel is having an 'anything goes' challenge, I'll add this over there!

And if you're REALLY fast- you might get a chance to play along with the new challenge at May Arts!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

Adding some color!

2011-10-26T20:53:00.002-07:00

This week the challenge at CAS-Fridays is to add color! I went crazy with Luminarte Twinkling H2O's! This first one uses their fabulous 'paint it' paper & is framed in May Arts satin string.

Next up a rainbow of twinkling H2O's! May Arts burlap string; PTI sentiment/cardstock.

And a scrapbook page!! Woohoo! Lots of Creative Imaginations goodies & twinkling H2O's here, as well as May Arts scalloped edge satin, chenille dot, burlap string, ric rac! WHEW!

And you may have guessed that there is a May Arts and Creative Imaginations/Luminarte swap going on! Head over & leave a comment for a chance to win some wonderful goodies!!!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!!

October 2011 PTI blog hop with Wee

2011-10-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

Hard to believe it's the 25th already! WHERE does the time go???? But it is, which means it's time for the PTI blog hop! It's a photo inspiration- I was inspired by the colors & theme- here's what I've come up with:

I used wreath for all seasons & stamped it on a kraft tag that my sweet friend, Charlene, sent me!

ETA- this is what we put in the jars- we assumed Costco would have nice fall flowers- so we weren't planning on RED ROSES!!!

I've tied a button on & layered 1" satin/grosgrain edge, raffia (did you know May Arts carries raffia? it's fabulous!), and of course, some yummy bittersweet burlap string. This is all tied onto a canning jar that will be used for flowers at a Teacher's luncheon this week.

And since Wee Memories is a free for all this week, I'll add this there!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! Happy Hopping!

Happy Fall with texture!

2011-10-20T23:50:00.000-07:00

I've got a fun tag to show you today! I've used a Core'dinations tag, as well as some paper from the white wash line to create this fun pumpkin!

I've embossed the pumpkin with a cuttlebug folder & sanded. The tag uses the faux letterpress technique that Erin's challenged us to use at Do More With Less. I put the guidelines plate & chamomile tea ink to work (PTI). Sentiment is PTI, ink SU!

I used May Arts satin leaves & glued a few pieces of burlap string together for the stem. More of that cool fabric that I've frayed the edges on. That's 1" satin/grosgrain edge through the grommet- gorgeous!
My friend, Cindy, is on the Shabby Tea Room DT, and she's hosting this week- here is the inspiration; added element is dry embossing.

I'll also add this to the Moxie Fab World Textured to perfection challenge!
And thank you to those that have stopped by the May Arts blog & checked out my post for this FAB swap! If you haven't stopped by head over & check out what else I've done with these items- and don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some for yourself!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

Happy Birthday, Karen!

2011-10-18T02:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome to Karen's virtual birthday party!! If you're hopping in order you've come from Laurel's fabulous celebration!
I've been following Karen's beautiful work for as long as I can remember- her cards are always so creative, and her words are an added treat.
I thought it would be fun to bring a bouquet of flowers....

And then I used one on Karen's birthday card! :D

Karen is the mist queen, and I wanted to incorporate some mist in some way, so I've misted the May Arts webbed weave ribbon with Tattered Angels Mallard mist. The card base is PTI aqua mist, I've heat embossed with white powder over PTI text. There's that material I love, but can't remember what it's called (thicker than muslin, lighter than linen) that is machine stitched in place. A handcut banner with PTI embellishment sentiment- because I believe celebrating a friend's birthday IS a special occasion!

I feel like there's a lot of texture on this card, so I'll add it to the Moxie Fab World textured to perfection challenge!

Thank you to our fabulous Hostess, Erin!!!

Next stop is Dana! Make sure you make it to the birthday girl's blog to wish her a Happy Birthday!!! (If you didn't start at Erin's head back there so you don't miss any of the festivities!)

CHEERS!

Yvonne

Laurel

Jen <-------that's me!

Dana

Michele

Lynn

Lindsay

Amy

Aimes

Jen R

Lisa

Lynn

Karen's, birthday girl's blog,

I want my Mummy...

2011-10-12T11:00:00.000-07:00

Hee. What do you think of this?

Head over to May Arts to see how I turned this juice box into a treat! And don't forget to check out the May Arts facebook page- seems like the Ribbon Lady is always giving goodies away!!!
Wee Memories challenge is Halloween themed- so let's add it there! :D

Thanks so much for stopping by!!! I'd love to hear what you think!

Ode to Erin...

2011-10-09T11:17:00.000-07:00

My friend, Erin, is the guest blogger at Do More with Less & she's given us a technique to try! She's posted a tutorial on the faux letterpress technique & wants us to play along! So here's what I came up with:

I've used some Creative Memories lavender paper, and letterpressed with the PTI woodgrain plate & SU! perfect plum ink. I used my cricut (storybook cart) to cut some letters from black cardstock & then glittered them up with MS black glitter (I LOOOOOVE that stuff!). I used a smokey shadow cardbase & have used some divine May Arts 1/8 velvet *yum*!

And in true Erin fashion, I've tried to combine some challenges!! :D I've used the Play Date Cafe colors, Wee Memories is having a Halloween challenge, the Ribbon Carousel says Anything Goes this week, and I see a LOT of texture- so let's add this to the Moxie Fab world Textured to Perfection! (I KNOW that makes you smile, Erin!!!)

whew! Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

Lawn-y thank you!

2011-10-05T20:21:00.000-07:00

I've had these pieces of banner stamped & ready to go since the weekend- and FINALLY put them together today! Kelly Marie (the fabby Ms. Lawn Fawn) challenged us to make and SEND a card made with Lawn Fawn stamps! So I pulled out bannerific & got to it! :D
I used more of that Heather Bailey paper & PTI smokey shadow ink on kraft cardstock. I don't have any Lawn Fawn 'font' stamps yet, so I used this type looking one from inkadinkadoo.

The Lawnscaping challenge is to add layers/dimension- so I popped up the banner with pop-dot adhesive. I added some yummy May Arts pink burlap string- so I'll add this to the Ribbon Carousel 'anything goes challenge' too.

Pretty productive for one little card!! :D

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Operation Write Home

2011-10-01T15:50:00.002-07:00

May Arts is participating in the Operation Write Home Blog Hop today! What a great way to celebrate World Card Making Day!!!

The theme was to make a Christmas Card- so here's my contribution:

PTI kraft cardstock, vintage bookprint that I pleated, Cosmo Cricket pp. I used PTI's vintage ornaments stamps & die, along with the MIM technique of layering cereal box to create your own chipboard element. The strip along the top is punched with the fiskars border punch & machine sewed on top of the book brint. A little May Arts burlap string to tie it on, and a flourish in versamark. It's very hard to see the clear embossing on the ornament, but it adds a nice detail in person.

It was an honor to participate in this blog hop, I think I might whip up a few more of these before delivering them to the OWH shipper....

Thanks so much for stopping by! Hope you are getting crafty today!!! Head over to the OWH hop to see all the great contributions!

A Wee bit Delightfully Random

2011-09-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

The Tuesday Trigger is soooo pretty (of course, they always are). Here's my CAS take on all the goodies:

The photo reminded me so much of this Cosmo Cricket paper- do you see it? And the embossed panel is a bit doily-looking.... I did layer a piece of vellum over the patterned paper so that the sentiment would show. (I stamped the sentiment from PTI in aqua mist and versafine brown.)

Here's the inspiration- and you've got time to play! It's a two-weeker!

And Wee Memories challenge is to use patterned paper- so I've got that covered!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!!!

Sheet Music

2011-09-26T09:00:00.000-07:00

Head over to May Arts to check out how I made this beauty....

September 2011 PTI blog hop

2011-09-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

It's hard to believe it's already the 25th! This month has really flown by- and the 25th means PTI blog hop! We had a photo inspiration this month & this is what I've come up with:

As soon as I saw the picture I thought of this AC Dear Lizzy paper. I like the way the striped May Arts ribbon works with it- like the intersecting stripes on the picture. And it just so happens that I'm in need of a few thank you cards, so I made another quick one! Both of these are on PTI white cardstock & use Butterfly Dreams in aqua mist. The scallops are aqua mist cardstock cut with a border punch- fiskars, I believe.

You can see that the paper is embossed from this angle. A lot of interest without being overly busy, I think.

Here's the inspiration- how did I do?

And Wee Memories' challenge is to use patterned paper this week...check!

And don't forget to head over to May Arts & leave a comment for the weekend giveaway! :D

Thanks for stopping by- happy hopping!!

Lawnscaping #18

2011-09-22T16:20:00.001-07:00

I'm back today to share a card created for the Lawnscaping challenge #18- getting texty! I stamped one of the petite florals stamps on my vintage bookprint as a frame for the patterned paper. (the pattern paper is from a little pad from that store in Poulsbo that closed....)

I then stamped some more flowers ON the patterned paper, as well as a unity sentiment. A little machine stitching & I was done!

There's still time to play in the challenge & you can head here to see what everyone has created!

And don't forget to head over to May Arts & leave a comment for a chance to win a FAB prize! :)

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Tattered Angels + May Arts!

2011-09-21T07:54:00.000-07:00

A match made in heaven, right? :) I went a little crazy, so head over & check it out!!!

Don't forget to leave a comment over there for a chance to win some yummy goodies!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to know what you think!!! :)

A little foxy

2011-09-20T21:00:00.000-07:00

I've got a fun little card using Lawn Fawn stamps today- the fox & mushrooms to be exact! :)

I started with a kraft cardbase & added some cosmo earth love paper. I stamped the fox & mushrooms (a little masking on the mushrooms) on a shipping tag & watercolored them with ink & waterpen. I did color his tail white with a prisma pencil. A little machine stitching & it's good to go!

I thought I'd try him colored with prisma pencils & a little OMS (I didn't get too serious on it, just enough to melt & blend a bit)

Which version do you like better?

And May Arts is having a FABULOUS blog swap this week!!!! Be still my inky heart!!! Go check it out & remember to leave comments on the posts for a chance to win!!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

One Layer Embellished

2011-09-16T22:15:00.001-07:00

How's that for a title? :) Here's what I've come up with for Embellish's Color challenge with mist/paint:

Vintage cream cardstock, misted with Mallard Glimmer Mist. Spellbinders embossed frame. The bird is from a coffeebreakdesign.com stencil. I bought it last summer at a store in Poulsbo that (boo) had gone out of business when I went to visit this summer. You can still get the stencils online, and there are some fun ones!

I used May Arts burlap string as the wire (I pierced holes before sewing it), and PTI butterfly dreams sentiment in smokey shadow.

Here's the gorgeous inspiration:

And I'm barely making the one layer challenge at Wee Memories!

OH! And don't forget to stop by May Arts this weekend, check out this post for a chance to win some fabulous ribbon!
Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

Tuesday Trigger: Garden Glory

2011-09-12T18:38:00.001-07:00

I loved this trigger over at Moxie Fab World the MOMENT I saw it- and thankfully it is a two-weeker, so I get to play along! Here's my take:

PTI vintage cream cardstock base. The green is several strips of the PTI vintage lace die put together. (yes this DID take a silly amount of time, but so worth it!) The sentiment is from PTI garden variety- stamped in aqua mist, and then in versafine brown. I'm sure you may have guessed that the GORGEOUS ribbon is May Arts. *smile* A little chamomile ink around the focal panel & a handmade flower finish it off. (the flower is on a clip, so it can be worn on a headband, purse, etc)

Here's the inspiration pic:

And since I DID add that lovely ribbon, I'll add this to the Ribbon Carousel Challenge as well! (I was tickled pink to be named a top spool in the last challenge!)

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

Wee #66 & RCC19

2011-09-09T18:17:00.000-07:00

Sympathy cards are always a challenge. I need to make more to have on hand- as it's always harder when you need one....PTI vintage cream cardstock, vintage lace border die (for embossing), botanical silhouettes stamps. SU! ink, May Arts silk ribbon.

After I stamped the sentiment in green, I stamped over it with versamark & heat embossed with clear powder. Can you see the shine? (you can always click the pics to see more detail...)

I've got a couple of challenges to link this up to- Wee Memories 'simply sentiments'

And the Ribbon Carousel 'anything goes'

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

PDCC 98 with Wee Memories & Ribbon

2011-09-08T09:44:00.001-07:00

I'm finally getting to play along at PDCC again! Can you believe they are at challenge 98? That is awesome!
Here's what I came up with:

Hawaiian shores paper letterpressed with the PTI woodgrain plate & sunflower yellow dew drop/brilliance ink. The sentiment is from PTI botanical silhouettes, inked in SU! night of navy. And that yellow striped grosgrain from May Arts was the perfect addition! I used my exacto knife to cut slits wide enough to thread the ribbon through & tacked it in place with fabritac. Super CAS & flat enough to mail at standard rate! love that!

Here's the inspiration:

And the challenge this week at Wee Memories is to add a sentiment to your creation- DONE! :D

And, I'll also add this to the Ribbon Carousel Challenge- 'anything goes'!

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

My baby started FIRST grade!!!

2011-09-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Hadley's first day of first grade! It's so hard to believe how fast she is growing up- and I'm so in love with this sweet little girl.
I had to wake her up! She had a good breakfast & got ready quickly!

Here she is with her new (giant) backpack & mascot!

The requisite pictures outside the front door!

And in front of the school (yes, I should have had the picture taken so you could actually SEE the school...!)

At her desk...

And one of us I just loved...

Now that she's gone all day, everyday, maybe I'll get back to crafting!!!! I don't want you to miss out on your chance to play in the fun challenge at May Arts- head over & check it out!!

Hope you have a great day!!

Moxie Vertical Sketch Challenge with Wee Memories

2011-09-03T16:21:00.000-07:00

I'm back with an entry in the Moxie Fab World Vertical Sketch Challenge!
Here's my card:

And here's the sketch:

I let the paper do the talking on this one! (all MME)- with a PTI sentiment stamped in a matching pink. A little lime green stickles to bling up the edges of the banner & lookie at that gorgeous MA ribbon!

I'm adding this to Wee Memories 'sentiment' challenge too! :D

Speaking of May Arts- you might want to check out this post for a chance to win some ribbon! AND there's a new challenge going on- check out the details for the 'happy accident' challenge here!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think- and head here to see the other Moxie Fab entries!!

Back to school banner

2011-08-30T20:58:00.001-07:00

I am co-chair of Hadley's school's PTA hospitality committee now- what does that mean? I get to make cute banners like this! please disregard the view beyond!

we also filled those bags I stamped & will have them all ready to go for the first day of school for the staff...

Here's a couple of close-ups (minus the background!). I used PTI aqua mist for the banner base, creative memories red (diecut with cricut & embossed with PTI letters palte). The pencils are Cosmo Cricket (from the boyfriend- thansk Sav for reminding me I had this paper!). The 'ruler' paper is Cosmo Cricket material girl.

Some May Arts 3/16" grosgrain/stripes to hang it on & machine stitching around the pennants with letters.

In other news of things that 'rule'- Hadley lost her first tooth! She pulled that bugger out on her own-probably a few days early! (she is her mama's daughter!!) She looks so grown up with her sassy hair & missing tooth!

I'll add this to Wee Memories 'back to school' challlenge:

As well as the ribbon carousel challenge to use 2 or more 'spooled' items- thread counts! :D

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Moxie Square Sketch

2011-08-28T11:23:00.000-07:00

Here's my submission for the Moxie Square Sketch Challenge:

Some glittery/embossed DCWV patterned paper topped with PTI vintage cream cardstock that was embossed with the guidelines impression plate. PTI sentiment in aqua mist finishes it off.

Here's the sketch if you want to play along- you've got until Sept. 19th!

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Cosmo Sketch

2011-08-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

Here's the card I made for Emma's birthday! I used the Cosmo Cricket sketch & all kinds of Cosmo Odds & Ends paper. A little machine stitching, some May Arts wrinkled ribbon & the new punch I just had to have & haven't used until now!! :D (ek success large edger circles)

Here's the sketch:

Don't forget to head over to May Arts- it's been a fun swap week with Our Craft Lounge, and you know what that means... weekend GIVEAWAY!! :D

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!! :D

Journal with Unity

2011-08-26T08:57:00.000-07:00

I've got another journal to share! This one uses more MME paper, May Arts ribbon & crohet trim, and a great Unity sentiment.

I'll add this one to the ATU challenge and Friends with Flair! fun!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

August 2011 PTI Blog Hop

2011-08-25T07:00:00.002-07:00

This month the challenge for the PTI hop is to use a lovely photo inspiration- here's my take:

I started with a berry sorbet card base. I embossed the damask designs plate onto vintage cream cardstock using a letterpress technique (chai ink). I must admit, when I took the impression plate off I caught my breath- I LOVE how this turned out!

I used some tissue paper that is very similar in color to the berry sorbet to make the flowers (with a scalloped punch) & May Arts satin leaves. I stamped the individual image onto May Arts twill with colorbox chalk ink in rouge & frayed the edges just a bit. I rounded the top of the card & focal panel, to pick up the shape of the suitcase.

Thanks so much for stopping by- have fun hopping! (click here for the list of participants!)

CAS-ual Friday embossed journal

2011-08-24T14:30:00.002-07:00

I'm back with more embossing for Cas-ual Friday's challenge! This time I've made a journal for my niece, Sydney! I used MME patterned paper for the cover, layered on yummy May Arts ribbons & burlap string & used a CAS Unity sentiment stamp that I heat embossed with white powder.

(you can always click on the image for a larger view!)

I'll also add this to the All Things Unity challenge too- 'anything goes' & Friends with Flair (my first time for both- not sure you can do both?)!

Thanks for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think!

CAS-ual fridays embossed banner!

2011-08-23T22:49:00.000-07:00

I know! I'm back already! Hard to believe after such a long absence! :D

I've got a fun banner to share- and it is CAS for sure!

I can't tell you how hard it was to get a pic of these glittered letters! I cut them on my cricut & glittered them up with fine glitter- very girly, no?

I cut the shapes with my spellbinder dies- using AC Dear Lizzy- (big yay for me for using loved supplies!)- I know you can't see it, but the paper even has clear embossing on some of the stripes!
I cut some flower shapes out of the same pink paper & embossed it with the sheet music plate (PTI)- tied on a button for the flower center.
Now I realize I could have thread the ribbon through the holes, but thought it was another fun detail to use burlap string to tie them to the ribbon! (and isn't it GORGEOUS ribbon?)

This was for my niece's birthday- they got their rooms redecorated & this matches what emma picked out! I'll share Syd's another time!! ;D

And don't forget to stop by the May Arts blog this week- it's another GREAT swap! Make sure you leave comments on the posts for a chance to win some goodies!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

OTWC #58 & Lawnscaping!

2011-08-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

I finally got back into the groove this weekend & have something to show for it! I inked up some super cute lawn fawn stamps to create this simple one layer card! Which just happens to be the challenge at lawnscaping! So here I am playing in my first lawnscaping challenge! :)
I had these coral/peach cards in my stash- they have that pretty edge done already- I simply grabbed some navy ink (sorry, I know it's hard to tell from these pics that it's navy ink!) so I could play in Off the Wall Craftiness challenge #58!
When I read (sadly!) that this is Kim's last challenge I HAD to play along! Thank you, Kim for such pretty inspiration over the last 58 challenges!!!

That's it for right now, but I've got a few more things done, so I'll get those up soon! Thanks so much for stopping by, I'd love to hear what you think! :D

teacher bags

2011-08-17T23:00:00.000-07:00

You thought I moved to another planet, right? I do feel a little like I did! One in which the time/space continuum moves at warp speed.... *sigh*

I did MAKE something...finally! I borrowed the teacher's apple set from my friend, Cindy so that I could stamp 150 (yes, you read that right) bags for back to school gifts for the staff. (Did I mention I'm now co-chair of hospitality? *heavy sigh*). We'll be putting water bottles & granola bars, or something of the sort in the bags...

Yes, I know I didn't stamp the leaf- I mentioned 150, right?!

And I've got these two sweet girls here to play with my sweet girl- They turn 9 (NINE!!!!) on Monday. I remember their birth like yesterday- I should say better than yesterday, as I don't really remember yesterday at all! ha!
They really liked Hadley's hair, so they're sporting short locks now too!

Now don't forget to head over to May Arts- there are a couple of giveaways going on- so check them out!!! (not to mention great inspiration!)

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'll have something more to share soon... I hope!

Meet the May Arts Team...

2011-08-11T22:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I REALLY thought I'd have something crafty to share with you by now, but I don't! However, I didn't want you to miss your chance at winning free ribbon over at May Arts!!! So head over & leave some love- the more members of the design team you greet, the more chances to win! You can say hi on the Facebook page for extra chances!!!
Hope to have some craftiness to share with you SOMEDAY!!! ha!

Hadley's Locks of Love

2011-08-06T21:04:00.000-07:00

Nothing crafty to share tonight, but though I'd share my sweet girl's donation! Here she is before we walked into the haircut...

snip, snip...

and after!

she had nearly 12" to donate! It looks really cute on her & she's proud of her donation!

Birthday Candle

2011-08-05T23:07:00.000-07:00

Yes, this is the card I meant to post nearly a month ago! sheesh!

I used that Heather Bailey paper to make the candle, and May Arts curly/sparkling ribbon for the 'flame'

The cardbase is PTI white cardstock, and I scored a frame around the candle for some extra pizzazz.

I thought this said birthday on its own, so I left the sentiment off the front. What do you think?

And the May Arts/October Afternoon Swap was a huge success (yes, still sad I missed it!)- but there's still time for you to win some goodies! Make sure to leave comments on all the posts this week for more chances to win!!!

And in super fun news:

Thanks to all at Wee Memories!!! WOOHOO!!!

I'm back!

2011-08-02T10:26:00.000-07:00

I had such good intentions of getting a post up before we left on vacation- but you know how those last minute details eat up your time & something's gotta give!!!
While I was gone I had a post go up over at May Arts- so go check that out!

And while you're there- they are having a FABULOUS swap with one of my fave companies!

And you know what that means- lots of inspiration and giveaways!!! :D

So check it out & leave comments on all of the posts this week for a chance to win some goodies!!!

Stampendous!

2011-07-11T22:36:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's a swap week at May Arts!!! Here's a little sneak of what I've got over there:

Don't forget to leave a comment on the May Arts blog for a chance to win some AMAZING goodies!!!:D

Nautical thank you!

2011-07-08T12:30:00.000-07:00

Today was Hadley's last day of swim lessons for this session & I wanted to give a little gift to her teacher. And when I saw the Embellish challenge this morning a design was quickly formed! I love it when a plan comes together (cue A-team music...).

I had misted this doily with light blue awhile ago, so it was dry & ready to go. I grabbed the PTI out to sea set & stamped the life ring in red, and the thank you from butterfly dreams in a darker blue. A little brown burlap string from May Arts wrapped around a glassine bag finished off the color trend...
Of course, I'm sure the teenage girl was more interested in the yummo chocolate chip cookies than the wrapping, but still....

Here's the story board:

Thanks for stopping by- looooots of time to play in this one (shocking, I'm not sneaking in at the last minute, like usual!!)- so get busy!

OTWC #56, Moxie stamping

2011-07-07T21:10:00.000-07:00

I've got another entry for OTWC challenge, which ends very shortly!

Hard to see the white images, but there's red, white & blue stamped on soft stone using the PTI medallions. I've made it for our friends that hosted a 4th of July gathering- when I showed it to Hadley she said 'it DOES look like fireworks!' *smile*

Doesn't that May Arts curly/sparkling ribbon set it off perfectly?

Since it's all stamped up, I'll add it to the Moxie Fab Worlds stamping challenge too!! (there IS still time to play in that one!)

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Happy Birthday, Erin!

2011-07-05T06:00:00.009-07:00

Happy Birthday to Erin! If you've come from Karen's blog, welcome! This is the second stop on the way to the birthday girl herself! Karen did a fabulous job of creating a 'hopping' sketch- here's mine:

Erin's fave combo is red & kraft, and she's a CAS girl, so here's what I've come up with in her honor!

Pinwheels are made with Cosmo Cricut odds & ends mini deck & backed with vintage text.

A little machine stitching to round off the sketch...

Sentiment from Butterfly Dreams (PTI), cardstock PTI as well.

Your next stop is the amazingly talented Sav! Don't forget to hop all the way to Erin's for an opportunity to win party favors!

Here's the whole list of party-goers!

Karen The Bald Dragonfly http://thebalddragonfly.blogspot.com

Jen Jen Shears Designs http://jenshearsdesigns.blogspot.com <---that's me!
Sav Savannaland2 http://savannahland2.blogspot.com
Emily L Art from the Heart http://leiphartonart.blogspot.com
Yvonne Do More With Less http://yyam.blogspot.com
Michele Studio MSG http://studiomsg.blogspot.com
Lora Fleur de lo http://fleurdelo.blogspot.com
Lynn Miller's Ink http://www.millers-ink.net
Emily K My Little Slice of Bliss http://mylittlesliceofbliss.blogspot.com
Erin Homeade Cards by Erin http://homemadecardsbyerin.blogspot.com

Thanks to Karen for all the detail/graphic work! And once again, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Erin!!!!

xoxo

And in true ERIN fashion- I've found a challenge to add my card to! Nothing says SUMMER like pinwheels, right? :)

PC Color Inspiration #6, OTWC #56, Moxie stamped

2011-07-04T15:48:00.002-07:00

Today is the deadline for Paper Craft's Color Challenge #6! I pulled out this sweet Technique Tuesday set & went to it!

I stamped in versafine black & then used prisma pencils to color the open letters. Baker's twine in red & red inked focal panel to round out the color scheme.

A good reminder... :)

Here's the colors, if you've got time to play today!

AND OTWC's challenge is red, white & any color blue- so I'll link up there too! :D

And Moxie Fab World is having a stamp-it challenge- so I'll link up there too!! :D

Thanks so much for stopping by- hope you have a fun & safe 4th of July!!!

A soldered pendant (or 2) & some yum!

2011-07-03T20:56:00.000-07:00

I made this pendant for my very dear friend- I used Pink Paislee's butterfly garden paper, and stamped the PTI medallion in chai over it, and her name in smokey shadow.

And this is the back- aren't those butterflies pretty?

I thought so too, so imagine my heartache when THIS happened:

you can click on the pics to see them larger, but that's a crack in the glass. boo-hoo. first time I've ever broke one.
Thought I better not tempt fate to make another one the same, so here's the new version:

Hard to see her name here, but I think it still turned out pretty cute.

Then Hadley & I made these to take to a BBQ tomorrow! I saw the pic in blogland (wish I could tell you where- but I did pin it in pinterest!) & thought they were too cute, AND that I would have the patience to make them with Had! BONUS! :D

Strawberries dipped in white chocolate & blue sugar- super fun & festive!

Hope you've got fun & safe plans for the 4th! Gotta love celebrating our patriotism with good food & friends!

May Arts Glitter Headband

2011-07-01T09:04:00.000-07:00

I've got a post up today at May Arts! :) I'll show you how to make a fun headband out of their AMAZING glitter ribbon!

Gotta love the look of glitter without the mess! :D (and you might as well add a fun patriotic burned ribbon flower while you're at it, right?!)

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Papertrey June 2011 Blog Hop Challenge, Embellished!

2011-06-25T07:00:00.009-07:00

This month the PTI blog hop is photo inspired! Here's my take:

All the ribbon is May Arts, and there is one strip of American Crafts mixtape in there (the orange).

The butterflies (butterfly dreams) are stamped in smokey shadow, and then versamark- topped with MS silver glitter. I think they look mirror-ish. What do you think?

Here's the inspiration pic:

And since the challenge at Embellish is all about rainbows too, I'll join in there too!

Thanks so much for stopping by- happy hopping!

MIM with Petaloo!

2011-06-23T05:00:00.011-07:00

Isn't the swap with Petaloo fun?! :) I've got a couple other projects at the May Arts blog- so go check them out! I'll share this one here:

Using those sweet Petaloo petite flowers & the reverse masking technique with PTI's garden variety set!

And of course some May Arts wrinkle ribbon to top it off!

Head here to see the video for Make it Monday!

And head over to the May Arts blog to see my other projects! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some FABULOUS goodies!!! :D

Jay Gee's #8

2011-06-22T17:00:00.002-07:00

I told you I had another one up my sleeve for Jay Gee's! :) This was the card I made first!

I used a Hambly rub-on (bought on clearance- woohoo!) & American Craft 'mixtape' (thank you Maggie Holmes!). I don't believe I've used a rub-on for a card before- and the washi tape is totally new to me- talk about fun!!!

So head over to Jay Gee's- you have until 6/25 to get your entry in- and the inspiration is fabulous!

Dad...

2011-06-21T21:07:00.000-07:00

Father's Day was Sunday. What a great day! I'm unbelievably lucky to not only HAVE an amazing father, but to be married to one. Watching the relationship between Cory & Hadley is a gift I treasure- much like my relationship with my Dad!

Dragonfly stamp, mask & mist: tattered angels. Sentiment & cardstock PTI. Versafine brown ink.

Can you see the shimmer?

This May Arts 3/8" solid/reversible/stripes ribbon is delicious. The texture of it is sooooo rich!!!

And this pic is from last summer- isn't my Dad handsome? :D (Hadley is caught in the sun-glare- hence the less-than-thrilled face- she ADORES her Papa!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think! (and don't forget to head over & comment at the May Arts blog- fabulous goodies to be won!!!

May Arts & Petaloo week!

2011-06-21T20:23:00.000-07:00

You KNOW there's a giveaway, right? :)

I'm Sew Excited!

2011-06-19T23:46:00.000-07:00

I'm finally getting a chance to play in a challenge!!! And I managed to squeak in to the Moxie Sew Excited Challenge AND Jay Gee's Nook! yay!

So here's my entry:

Paper from Paper Zone, stamps are Girls Paperie & PTI button boutique.

Can you see the PINK embossing? I cannot tell you how long it's been since I've pulled THAT little jar out!

Versamark for the overstamped image. Sew Cute, right?

I've got another one up my sleeve for the challenge at Jay Gee's- because really- look at this inspiration!!!

Thanks sew much (I'll stop soon- promise!) for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

I have a first grader!

2011-06-18T00:59:00.000-07:00

Today was Hadley's last day of kindergarten. How did that happen?

We made these little tags & attached them with small clothespins, covered with May Arts 1/4" silk.

I also sprayed them with some shimmer, but hard to tell in these pics. Fence & stamps PTI

We potted pretty petunias in peat pots, so her tags were fitting...

Yesterday was field AND twin day- aren't they cheeky? :)

One last picture of Mama with her kindergartener.

I'm thrilled with how much she's blossomed, but wish time would hold still for just a bit....

Man, I love this little person.

May Arts weekend giveaway..

2011-06-12T20:40:00.000-07:00

May Arts is having a great weekend giveaway! Head over to the blog to check out the details!!!

I don't have a crafty-share, but isn't this geranium gorgeous? :D

Can you see my smile from there?

2011-06-07T22:09:00.000-07:00

The May Arts design team was announced- and I get to stay!!! Thank you SO MUCH to my sweet friends that voted at the May Arts blog & facebook page! This really has been more fun than I could have imagined & I'm absolutely thrilled to get to stay! Not to mention amazed- go check out who else is on the team!!!
*happy sigh*
Speaking of May Arts (I must say 'speaking of' a lot, since it's so funny to hear my 6 year old say it!)- I've got a fun post up for the Creative Imaginations swap!
Here's a peek- but there are a couple more pages & details over there! Don't forget to leave a comment for a chance to win some amazing goodies!

You might want to check out this post too- details on how to win more goodies!

I take that back.

2011-06-05T22:53:00.000-07:00

I said I've got nothing crafty to share in my last post- but guess what!

And you KNOW there's going to be some fab craftiness there- not to mention GIVEAWAYS!!!

Here's a hint!

So get over there & leave a COMMENT!!!!

I've got nothing.

2011-06-05T22:17:00.000-07:00

Well, nothing crafty anyway. I've been working on a teacher gift that has taken all of my time. I'll share more on that later.

Our yard is finally coming alive! A month+ late, but I think it makes me appreciate it more. :)

brunnera

london's pride saxifrage, obsidian heuchera, hosta

maidenhair fern

japanese maple (floating cloud?)

lilac

columbine

japanese maple (bred by a friend)

another hosta...

Hope you've had a great weekend!

xoxo

winner!

2011-06-01T21:33:00.001-07:00

True Random Number Generator

Min: 1

Max: 16

Result:

12

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

So that gives us:
Trinh said...

Great tutorial, Jen! I have never tried dying with Rit but you make it look very easy. And I looove how the ribbon roses look with just the edges dyed.
May 26, 2011 6:02 PM

Trinh, email me your snail mail address so I can get the burlap string out to you!

Sorry I don't have anything crafty tonight!!!
Thanks again to all of you that have left comments at May Arts! you are AWESOME!

Crossing my fingers!

2011-05-31T18:30:00.000-07:00

Guess what May Arts is giving away!

yep, all SEVEN rolls!!!

I'd love it if you could leave me a comment on the May Arts blog- it really has been a dream position, and I'm hoping to remain on the design team!! This week will be packed with great ideas on the May Arts blog, so keep checking back!

Thanks so much for your support and good luck!!!

spring recital

2011-05-28T21:48:00.000-07:00

Hadley had her spring recital on Tuesday- she was so cute, and I walked off with my camera, sans memory card. No, the video camera was not charged. yes. I felt cool. A sweet friend & kindergarten classmate came to watch, and luckily his mom had her camera!

We gave her some gerbera daisies- such a happy flower!

I did NOT edit the color of this- wow, right?

of course Cosmo needed to check them out too...

Embellish Text, MIM #16

2011-05-28T11:12:00.000-07:00

I love the story boards Embellish puts together- they are always so inspiring! The colors are beautiful, and the text element is always fun for me! I thought these colors were suited to the MIM: sympathy card. So here's my take:

I used soft stone, smokey shadow & ocean tides cardstock. The picket fence is die cut from vintage book print & attached to chipboard (ie, cereal box).

The anniversary set is used for all the images- botanical silhoettes, I believe. Versamark, fresh snow & smokey shadow ink. May Arts black twine.

There you go! Go check out the other MIM & Embellish entries!

This weekend is Memorial Day-a time to give thanks to our military & their families for their daily sacrifices to keep our country free.

Thanks for stopping by- I always love hearing what you think!!

May 2011 PTI blog hop with CAS bling!

2011-05-25T08:21:00.000-07:00

This month's PTI blog hop challenge was to use flowers in our favorite way! I love adding flowers I've made!

Both of these have burned-edge ribbon flowers- and they both feature BLING! So I'm finally getting to play along with the CAS-ual Friday gals too! :)

First up, bb: diamonds in pixie dust versamagic ink & the anniversary set sentiment in versafine brown. Ribbon from May Arts, bling is a brad from Joanns.

Next I've used the button set & die for a 'tag' to attach a flower pin. I love giving these as gifts this way!!!

the bling here is a vintage button...

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think! And if you have time to stop by later, check out this tutorial & leave a comment to win some yummy May Arts twine! (details on this post)

(and what the heck with blogger? it's making me crazy. ugh.)

PDCC#82, Wee#57

2011-05-24T21:27:00.000-07:00

I'm sneaking in under the wire for the Play Date challenge this week- and isn't this inspiration fab?

And since stamping is the name of the game at Wee Memories this week, I'm in!
Here's my take:

who wouldn't love a text couch? *wink*

stamps are from PTI on my couch & Practicing creativity the whole cycle (the 'rug), ink is versamagic sahara sand, versafine black & PTI tea dye duo. Pattern paper is from Cosmo Cricket's brand new 'odds & ends' mini deck! :) text is vintage book print, & a little yellow embroidery floss...

thanks so much for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think!

Mickey Frame

2011-05-24T10:22:00.000-07:00

Head over to May Arts to check this project out!

And while you are there check out the sneak peek for the new line! (there might be a giveaway involved- just sayin'!)

GET OUT!

2011-05-23T09:00:00.000-07:00

yep, in my best Elaine-from-Seinfeld voice, that's what I said when I got an email from Cath asking if I'd be interested in being a Moxie Fabber of the Week! Of course my husband is the only one that heard it- so you'll have to take my word on that....
I STILL can't believe it!!
me?
really?

unbelievable!!!
This is so exciting for me- and SUCH an honor!!!
So if you found me from the amazing Moxie Fab World- Thank you for stopping by! I'd love it if you stayed for awhile! I even have a fun tutorial posted below- check it out & leave a comment on that post & I'll pick one commenter to win a few yards of all the May Arts twine colors I have! (I think I'll draw on June 1st)
And thanks & congratulations to Cath & Moxie Fab World - for the constant inspiration (1000 posts!) Thanks again for this amazing opportunity!

Ribbon Carousel Challenge #3

2011-05-22T22:31:00.000-07:00

I had a little time tonight & have been dying to CREATE something!!! So I put my anniversary set to work for a CAS challenge card-

I used the sentiment from 'on my couch' and BB:text. This challenge site requires ribbon, twine, string- I'm game!

And Wee Memories this week wants you to 'stamp it!'- check!
I've used some May Arts velvet- isn't it yummy? Oh, and some burlap string in the top of the tag!

I scored a couple of lines below the stems.

Ink is SU! bordering blue (have you ever seen those Himalayan blue poppies? *sigh*) and PTI spring moss.

Hadley & I went to the park yesterday- she's getting SO BIG!

Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

Rit dye & May Arts ribbon!

2011-05-21T01:33:00.000-07:00

Some of you may know that May Arts had another design team call a while back. Round 2 involves the current design team members added into the mix! So I thought I'd show you another idea on changing the color of your ribbon! I'm sure many of you have used Rit dye, but have you tried it on ribbon?
I pulled out all those white ribbons you've seen me experiment with on the May Arts blog in the past:
HA01, QH01, DC01, EA01, XV01, FN01, 379-15-01, HN01, 353-01
And I bought some Rit dye (teal & wine). I tried the box/powdered versions, but they do sell a concentrate liquid, and after trying this technique I believe it would be a great option!

I visited the Rit dye website, and used the stove top method

I added salt to the mix, as recommended for the 'ombre' dying

I then added the mixed solution to a large pot full of hot water, and in went the ribbon!

I thought I 'd try a gradient/ombre effect (hence the salt addition), so some of the ribbon I put in to the color bath in sections every 15-20 minutes or so...

I moved the whole pot to the sink (after about an hour) and I should add the Rit website strongly encourages you to protect your surfaces. Some of us never learn... *wink*

I used tongs to pull the ribbon out & rinse

I set it all in my measuring cup to let it drip dry

And here's the finished 'teal' ribbon!

You can see the gradient effect I was going for was not successful.... (that's what experimenting is all about!) And the solid/wrinkled ribbon is definitely the most true to the box color- but the rosettes are pretty close too.
I moved on to the wine colored dye & same ribbons

This time I tried the low-water immersion technique from the website & skipped the salt.

You can see why the concentrated liquid would be a great way to go! (I wish I'd tried putting some of the liquid into a mister & trying it on paper! next time!) I just used one of those disposable glad containers. Since my silverware is stainless, I used that to push all the ribbon into the dye & it was fine.

I had a bit of a happy accident with the sheer woven rosettes when I realized I could use the spoon to just color the edges of the flowers!

In this shot you can see the fully-dyed, the white & the pink flowers with the edges dyed compared

And here's the finished group!

You can see the solid/wrinkled ribbon and the rosettes dyed true to the box, just like with the teal dye. The other ribbon is not as dark, but still pretty! I did let this sit overnight to see if the other ribbon would get darker, but it didn't!
So there you go- it's always fun to experiment with ribbon & color! I hope you've been inspired to try something a little different with YOUR May Arts ribbon!
If you haven't already, be sure to check out the May Arts blog & facebook page- there's always great inspiration (and lot's of giveaways!)!!!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I'm really hoping to remain on the May Arts design team- it's been a blast!

A little more DCWV

2011-05-15T22:08:00.000-07:00

A couple of cards made for the DCWV swap- this one was given to the great librarian at Had's school:

CAS, no?
And this one was for my nephew's 12th (seriously, how did THAT happen?) birthday:

Thanks to all of you that sweet comments here AND at May Arts- I'm hoping one of you wins the weekend giveaway!

DCWV & May Arts pages!

2011-05-13T09:47:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said PAGES! I got 2 pages & a lot of pics scrapped with the fab DCWV swap!

Blogger seems to have eaten my other post (I'm not sure if that's like the dog eating your homework?), so here's a peek at another item I've got posted at May Arts.

Now hurry over & comment for a chance to win some goodies- but be quick- she's picking today!!!! (sorry blogger was down so long & I couldn't remind you to get over there!)

Thanks so much for stopping by- and for your sweet comments here too! :)

DCWV swap!

2011-05-11T10:08:00.000-07:00

It's my day for sharing my projects at May Arts using our DCWV goodies!

Here's one page that I created- there are details on it at the May Arts blog!

I have a few items over there, I'll share them here this week too. But don't forget to comment on the post there for a chance to win some goodies! You might want to check out this post too- just sayin'!

Thanks so much for stopping by- I always love to hear what you think!

May Arts & DCWV!

2011-05-10T11:58:00.000-07:00

You know this is going to be fun!!!!

Head over to the blog to see the fabulous collaboration- and don't forget to comment for a chance to win some goodies!!!

WMSC46

2011-05-10T11:50:00.000-07:00

I got a chance to play with the Waltzingmouse sketch this week:

I think it turned out pretty elegant....

Head over to the blog to see what else has been done with this sketch.

Make it Monday #13

2011-05-08T23:03:00.000-07:00

Make it Monday #13 already! Another great tip on embossing plates + dies! So here's my take:

Let me tell you, in daylight these pinks really work- not as much in the light tent.

also tough to get the music embossing to show- but it's very pretty in person...

So there you go- 2 posts in one day from me!

Check out the other great creations here!

Moxie Hullabaloo!

2011-05-08T18:13:00.000-07:00

I loved this trigger as soon as I saw it, but I admit, yesterday when I was at my LSS and SAW a piece of it in person- well I had to play!

Talk about literal!!! It was fun making this fabric my card base & adding different elements to change each one a little.

paired with fillable frames:

paired with enjoy the ride:

paired with just the ticket:

fun!
And this was what I was brought in bed this morning! All Hadley's idea, but Daddy helped with the execution....

I'm a very lucky Mommy!

I hope you've had a wonderful Mother's day! Don't forget to head over to Moxie Fab World to see the rest of the hullabaloo!!! :)

May Arts Mother's day giveaway- and do you swag?

2011-05-07T13:16:00.000-07:00

You may have noticed by now that the ribbon lady at May Arts loves a chance for a fun giveaway! So head over to the blog to see the details on how to win this:

And another chance to 'win' is swag bucks! Have you heard of it? All you do is install the toolbar & use it as your search engine. It only takes 450 swagbucks for a $5 Amazon gift card, or 700 swagbucks for a $5 paypal gift card. Now, you may realize that could equal free stamps or kindle books in no time!!! There are lots of things you can redeem your swagbucks for- those are just some AWESOME ones, if you ask me! It hasn't slowed my computer down & I've only been at it for a few months & just through regular searches & occasionally doing the daily polls I've got enough for almost for $35 dollars through paypal- that's over 1/2 way to a free shipping order at PTI! :D

I hope you'll check it out- you also get swagbucks when someone that signs up for you wins swagbucks- WIN-WIN!

Have a fabulous National Scrapbook Day- and Happy Mother's Day!!!!

Birthday Banner Tutorial

2011-05-03T13:26:00.000-07:00

You might (or might not!) remember I said I'd show you how I made this:

Head over to May Arts blog and see the details! While you are there you may want to check out the new challenge and the current giveaway!

Thanks for stopping by- I'd love to hear what you think! :)

Masculine...

2011-04-29T21:07:00.000-07:00

right? I mean, there's a wood panel. And wood embossing. And a WOOD button.

Does it get more manly? Ok, maybe if there were heavy equipment, or tools- but this is what you get from me....

And it's in here:

which makes me VERY happy....
And don't forget to stop by the May Arts blog for a chance at a weekend giveaway! :)
Thanks so much for stopping by!!! I'd love to hear what you think!

May Arts/Little Yellow Bicycle Swap!

2011-04-27T10:51:00.000-07:00

Here's what I did with my LYB goodies! Don't fall down- I've got TWO scrapbook layouts- and an even bigger shock- they only have ONE picture on each page! WOOHOO- look at me!

*giggle*

Head over to May Arts to see the details- and don't forget to leave a comment on my post, as well as here for a chance to win some goodies!!!
Thanks so much for stopping by!

May Arts & Little Yellow Bicycle!

2011-04-26T19:48:00.000-07:00

How awesome is THAT? :) Head over to the May Arts blog & comment for a chance at this:

and this:

FUN, right?! :D

April 2011 PTI blog hop

2011-04-25T07:00:00.000-07:00

This month the challenge was to make a masculine card.

I've been going CAS lately, so stuck with it here. Embossed felt (from Joanns) is die cut & stamped with fillable frames #8 & attached to hawaiian shores cardstock.

Masculine? I hope masculine enough, it's going to my brother-in-law next week! :D

Thanks for stopping by & have fun hopping!

Embellish Easter Card

2011-04-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

Here's my card for the Embellish challenge! The color board is below, and the additional element was to add crochet trim!

I pulled out my May Arts crochet & sprayed it with glimmer mist to get the gold-ish color! I also put my May Arts 3/16" grosgrain stripes to work! I used the Wilson Designs bunny & frame image- isn't it adorable? (I won this set- thanks Kim & Papercrafts!)

Here's the beautiful inspiration!

And I think these are nice bright colors, and I'm sending this as an Easter card, so I'll add it to OTWC's challenge too! :)

I've got to get this in the mail today!!!! Thanks so much for stopping by! I'd love to hear what you think! :)

OH! And Happy Easter, Easter Bunny! Bach! Bach!

Moxie Fab Gift Wrap Challenge

2011-04-21T19:40:00.000-07:00

Last post today! I KNOW! THREE in one day! Holy toledo! I'd love it if you checked them all out! :)
This one is for Cath's gift wrap challenge- in honor of 350 cards & gifts week! I wrapped up the set of cards I'd made for Hadley's teacher & delivered them today!
I used simple tissue for the wrap, but added vintage book print & a doily that I stamped to somewhat coordinate with the gift. Tied it up with some May Arts sheer pink ribbon!

I think it turned out pretty cute! :)
Head over to Moxie Fab World to see the other FAB gift wraps!
Thanks so much for stopping by!!!!

Jen Shears Designs

May Arts + Hero Arts!

January 2012 PTI blog hop

Carbon Copied: Winter Lawnscaping

Happy Birthday, Cory!

Helmar + May Arts! :)

A notepad for Kristi

For the Warriors...

Challenge Happy...

December 2011 PTI blog hop

Pretty Gifts

Fascinating Friday!

Christmas Emporium: Graphic45

RCC32: Peppermint Twist!

May Arts ♥ Lawn Fawn

November 2011 PTI blog hop

*winner*

Tag! You're it

May Arts + Echo Park

11-11-11: Thank you Veterans

Anything Goes!

Flashback Friday

Banner with a Twist!

Good Day! *giveaway*

Altered Journal

Adding some color!

October 2011 PTI blog hop with Wee

Happy Fall with texture!

Happy Birthday, Karen!

I want my Mummy...

Ode to Erin...

Lawn-y thank you!

Operation Write Home

A Wee bit Delightfully Random

Sheet Music

September 2011 PTI blog hop

Lawnscaping #18

Tattered Angels + May Arts!

A little foxy

One Layer Embellished

Tuesday Trigger: Garden Glory

Wee #66 & RCC19

PDCC 98 with Wee Memories & Ribbon

My baby started FIRST grade!!!

Moxie Vertical Sketch Challenge with Wee Memories

Back to school banner

Moxie Square Sketch

Cosmo Sketch

Journal with Unity

August 2011 PTI Blog Hop

CAS-ual Friday embossed journal

CAS-ual fridays embossed banner!

OTWC #58 & Lawnscaping!

teacher bags

Meet the May Arts Team...

Hadley's Locks of Love

Birthday Candle

I'm back!

Stampendous!

Nautical thank you!

OTWC #56, Moxie stamping

Happy Birthday, Erin!

PC Color Inspiration #6, OTWC #56, Moxie stamped

A soldered pendant (or 2) & some yum!

May Arts Glitter Headband

Papertrey June 2011 Blog Hop Challenge, Embellished!

MIM with Petaloo!

Jay Gee's #8

Dad...

May Arts & Petaloo week!

I'm Sew Excited!

I have a first grader!

May Arts weekend giveaway..

Can you see my smile from there?

I take that back.

I've got nothing.

winner!

Crossing my fingers!

spring recital

Embellish Text, MIM #16

winner

Good Day! giveaway